“Is Anybody Out There?”

Pam Bales was hiking in Mount Washington State Park when the temperature suddenly dropped and a snowstorm blocked her way. That’s when she spotted a set of fresh footprints leading deeper into the unknown.

- Ty Gagne

Pam Bales left the pavement of Base Road and stepped onto the snow-covered Jewell Trail, the first leg of a six-hour loop hike she’d planned through New Hampshire’s Mount Washington State Park. The 70-year-old had packed for almost every contingency and intended to walk alone.

A piece of paper on the dashboard of her SUV detailed her itinerary: start up the Jewell Trail, traverse the ridge south along the Gulfside Trail, summit Mount Washington, follow Crawford Path down to Lakes of the Clouds Hut, descend the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail and return to her car before some forecasted bad weather was scheduled to arrive. Bales always left her hiking plans in her car, as well as with members of the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team, where she also volunteered.

It was just before 8 a.m. on October 17, 2010. She’d checked the higher summits forecast posted by the Mount Washington Observatory before she left. They predicted a slight chance of showers and wind chills around -12 C to -17 C. Winds were predicted to hit well over 100 kilometers per hour.

Bales knew she could handle the hike. Besides, she had two alternative routes planned and extra layers of clothing to better regulate her core temperature as conditions changed.

The hike up the lower portion of the Jewell Trail was pleasant. Bales felt excited as she walked the snowy paths. At 8:30 a.m., still below the treeline, she stopped and took the first in a series of on-the-trail selfies, in her fleece tank top and hiking pants. The sun shone through the trees and cast a shadow over her beaming face.

Less than an hour later, she smiled for another photo, after she’d climbed into colder air. She now donned a quarter-zip fleece top and gloves. An opaque backdrop of light fog had replaced the sunshine and snow-shrouded the hemlock and birch trees.